coyote pelt damage
 

i was turning a coyote right side out to finish drying on the board after it had dried on the board skin side out, and it ripped from the front leg to the head on the belly side. about 12 inches at least :angry3: i was wondering if there's any way to repair it or if it will be worth anything at the auction? has this happened to anyone?

U could re hydrate flip it and sew it up....if they get to dry on you again take a damp rag and wipe it down before attempting to turn it

Seen Jim at the ATA re hydrate a lynx that was on the stretcher after a week. For sure it can be done.

I have ripped them before as well. Makes you mad when you do it. I try and time it that I can get them on the stretcher in the morning and get a fan on them and then turn them before I go to bed or the next morning so they are not too dry. If they get real dry and paperlike then wet them down a little before turning

I have a few tear. Soak them in a pail of water again and turn them fur side in and sew them back up. Let them dry a bit and put them back on the stretcher fur side out with a lot of air

thanks guys. it was only skin side out on the board for about 10 hrs when i turned it. how will a hole like that affect the price?

Been there, done that.....not the end of the world. It's best to sew it otherwise the rip may get longer when they handle and drum the pelt at NAFA. If it's skin side out just wrap it in a wet towel for an hour and it should be re-hydrated enough to sew it and turn it. If it's fur side out stuff a wet towel inside of the pelt. You may have to put a wet cloth on the portion that is ripped in order to re-hydrate it enough to sew.

thanks HD. nice to know im not the only one its happened to. this will be my first time selling to nafa, how do they grade a pelt with a 12 inch sewn hole in it?

I had a coyote last year that I had to sew a 9 inch long line in,never got down graded and it was at the bottom where you could see it,they are grading huge numbers,don't think they do total 100 % inspection,maybe i'm wrong but this is what I experienced IMO cheers Peter

If you do a good job of sewing it back up it will probably not be noticed. The following pictures of a coyote ripped by wire that I sewed was not graded damaged and I got $70 for it in the May 2013 sale, with the overall sale average being about $90.http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps97758db0.jpghttp://i615.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps8e62576b.jpg